
Channel Gardens at Rockefeller Center, New York, NY
Coosje van Bruggen (1942–2009, b. Groningen, The Netherlands) was a sculptor, art historian, and critic who collaborated extensively with her husband, the artist Claes Oldenburg. Throughout her career, van Bruggen held positions at various institutions including the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam; Sonsbeek 71, Artforum; and the Yale University School of Art. She also authored numerous art historical books. Van Bruggen’s first collaboration with Oldenburg was in 1976, when Trowel I, originally shown at Sonsbeek 71, was rebuilt and relocated to the sculpture garden of the Kröller-Müller Museum in the Netherlands. In 1978, van Bruggen moved to New York, where she continued to work with Oldenburg. Together, the pair executed more than forty large-scale projects, which have been sited in various urban surroundings in Europe, Asia, and the U.S.
Claes Oldenburg & Coosje van Bruggen
Plantoir, Blue, 2001-2021
stainless steel, aluminum, fiber-reinforced plastic, polyurethane enamel paint
23 ft 11 7/16 in. x 4 ft 4 15/16 in. x 4 ft 9 in. (730.1 x 134.5 x 144.8 cm)
Claes Oldenburg & Coosje van Bruggen
Plantoir, Blue, 2001-2021
stainless steel, aluminum, fiber-reinforced plastic, polyurethane enamel paint
23 ft 11 7/16 in. x 4 ft 4 15/16 in. x 4 ft 9 in. (730.1 x 134.5 x 144.8 cm)
Claes Oldenburg & Coosje van Bruggen
Color Study of Vegetable Ark, with Figure for Scale, 1999
graphite and pastel on paper
30 3/16 x 39 13/16 in. (76.7 x 101.1); frame: 32 3/4 x 42 3/4 x 1 1/2 in. (83.2 x 108.6 x 3.8 cm.
Things Around the House, Paula Cooper Gallery, New York, NY, 2015
Things Around the House, Paula Cooper Gallery, New York, NY, 2015
Claes Oldenburg & Coosje van Bruggen
Study for Resonances, after J. V., 2000
Canvas, cardboard, wood, paper, string, clay, metal, T-pins; painted with latex and watercolor, pencil
18 x 33 3/4 x 13 1/4 in. (45.7 x85.7 x 33.7 cm)
Claes Oldenburg & Coosje van Bruggen
Silent Metronome, 16 inch, Version Four, 2005
Canvas, wood, cord, hardware; painted with acrylic and latex
16 x 8 1/2 x 10 in. (40.6 x 21.6 x 25.4 cm), variable dimensions
Claes Oldenburg & Coosje van Bruggen
Sculpture in the Form of a Match Cover – Model, 1987
cardboard, expanded polystyrene, felt pen
38 1/2 x 19 x 38 in. (97.8 x 48.3 x 96.5 cm)
Claes Oldenburg & Coosje van Bruggen
Proposed Sculpture for the Harbor of Stockholm, Sweden, Caught and Set Free, Model, 1998
Steel, aluminum, wood, plaster, sand; painted with acrylic polyurethane and latex
23 x 39 3/4 x 30 in. (58.4 x 102.2 x 76.2 cm)
Claes Oldenburg & Coosje van Bruggen
Shuttlecock on a High Wire, in the Rotunda of the Guggenheim Museum, 1995
graphite and pastel on paper
29 x 23 1/16 in. (73.7 x 58.6 cm); frame: 32 x 26 in. (81.3 x 66 cm)
Claes Oldenburg & Coosje van Bruggen
Notebook Page: Filet Mignon, Chicago, 2003
pencil, ballpoint pen, crayon, watercolor
image: 2 3/4 x 5 in. (7 x 12.7 cm) sheet: 11 x 8 1/2 in. (27.9 x 21.6 cm) framed: 16 3/4 x 14 x 1 1/8 inches (42.5 x 35.6 x 2.9 cm)
Claes Oldenburg & Coosje van Bruggen
Notebook Page: Giant Asparagus in Landscape, 1996
pencil and watercolor
5 1/16 x 8 1/2 in. (12.9 x 21.6 cm) sheet: 11 x 8 1/2 in. (27.9 x 21.6 cm)
Claes Oldenburg & Coosje van Bruggen
Fagend Study, Prototype, 1976
cast aluminum painted with enamel
10 x 18 1/2 x 9 1/4 in. (25.4 x 47 x 23.5 cm)
Claes Oldenburg & Coosje van Bruggen
Proposal for Sculpture in the Form of Nails Projecting into a Room, 1985
graphite and watercolor on paper
30 1/16 x 23 in. (76.4 x 58.4 cm)
Claes Oldenburg & Coosje van Bruggen
Blueberry Pie, Flying, Scale B, 1998
cast aluminum painted with acrylic urethane
33 x 25 1/2 x 18 in. (83.8 x 64.8 x 45.7 cm)
Edition of 3
Images a la Carte, Paula Cooper Gallery, New York, NY, 2004
Claes Oldenburg & Coosje van Bruggen
Proposal for a Sculpture in the Form of a Dropped Cone, for Neumarkt Galerie, Cologne, 1998
pencil and colored pencil
11 13/16 x 9 5/16 in. (30 x 23.7 cm); frame: 18 1/2 x 16 in (47 x 40.6 cm)
Claes Oldenburg & Coosje van Bruggen
Plantoir, Blue, 2001-2021
stainless steel, aluminum, fiber-reinforced plastic, polyurethane enamel paint
23 ft 11 7/16 in. x 4 ft 4 15/16 in. x 4 ft 9 in. (730.1 x 134.5 x 144.8 cm)
Claes Oldenburg & Coosje van Bruggen
Color Study of Vegetable Ark, with Figure for Scale, 1999
graphite and pastel on paper
30 3/16 x 39 13/16 in. (76.7 x 101.1); frame: 32 3/4 x 42 3/4 x 1 1/2 in. (83.2 x 108.6 x 3.8 cm.
Things Around the House, Paula Cooper Gallery, New York, NY, 2015
Claes Oldenburg & Coosje van Bruggen
Study for Resonances, after J. V., 2000
Canvas, cardboard, wood, paper, string, clay, metal, T-pins; painted with latex and watercolor, pencil
18 x 33 3/4 x 13 1/4 in. (45.7 x85.7 x 33.7 cm)
Claes Oldenburg & Coosje van Bruggen
Silent Metronome, 16 inch, Version Four, 2005
Canvas, wood, cord, hardware; painted with acrylic and latex
16 x 8 1/2 x 10 in. (40.6 x 21.6 x 25.4 cm), variable dimensions
Claes Oldenburg & Coosje van Bruggen
Sculpture in the Form of a Match Cover – Model, 1987
cardboard, expanded polystyrene, felt pen
38 1/2 x 19 x 38 in. (97.8 x 48.3 x 96.5 cm)
Claes Oldenburg & Coosje van Bruggen
Proposed Sculpture for the Harbor of Stockholm, Sweden, Caught and Set Free, Model, 1998
Steel, aluminum, wood, plaster, sand; painted with acrylic polyurethane and latex
23 x 39 3/4 x 30 in. (58.4 x 102.2 x 76.2 cm)
Claes Oldenburg & Coosje van Bruggen
Shuttlecock on a High Wire, in the Rotunda of the Guggenheim Museum, 1995
graphite and pastel on paper
29 x 23 1/16 in. (73.7 x 58.6 cm); frame: 32 x 26 in. (81.3 x 66 cm)
Claes Oldenburg & Coosje van Bruggen
Notebook Page: Filet Mignon, Chicago, 2003
pencil, ballpoint pen, crayon, watercolor
image: 2 3/4 x 5 in. (7 x 12.7 cm) sheet: 11 x 8 1/2 in. (27.9 x 21.6 cm) framed: 16 3/4 x 14 x 1 1/8 inches (42.5 x 35.6 x 2.9 cm)
Claes Oldenburg & Coosje van Bruggen
Notebook Page: Giant Asparagus in Landscape, 1996
pencil and watercolor
5 1/16 x 8 1/2 in. (12.9 x 21.6 cm) sheet: 11 x 8 1/2 in. (27.9 x 21.6 cm)
Claes Oldenburg & Coosje van Bruggen
Fagend Study, Prototype, 1976
cast aluminum painted with enamel
10 x 18 1/2 x 9 1/4 in. (25.4 x 47 x 23.5 cm)
Claes Oldenburg & Coosje van Bruggen
Proposal for Sculpture in the Form of Nails Projecting into a Room, 1985
graphite and watercolor on paper
30 1/16 x 23 in. (76.4 x 58.4 cm)
Claes Oldenburg & Coosje van Bruggen
Blueberry Pie, Flying, Scale B, 1998
cast aluminum painted with acrylic urethane
33 x 25 1/2 x 18 in. (83.8 x 64.8 x 45.7 cm)
Edition of 3
Images a la Carte, Paula Cooper Gallery, New York, NY, 2004
Claes Oldenburg & Coosje van Bruggen
Proposal for a Sculpture in the Form of a Dropped Cone, for Neumarkt Galerie, Cologne, 1998
pencil and colored pencil
11 13/16 x 9 5/16 in. (30 x 23.7 cm); frame: 18 1/2 x 16 in (47 x 40.6 cm)